UK workers keen to delegate tasks to robots

More than three fifths (63%) of UK employees would outsource certain work tasks to a robot if they could, according to new research.

In a survey commissioned by content intelligence specialist ABBYY, one in seven (15%) workers admitted that they try to avoid doing tasks they dislike, while a quarter (26%) wait to be reminded by someone else.

This potentially has repercussions for overall business efficiency and productivity, the company said.

For almost a quarter (24%) of the 1,200 employees surveyed, attending meetings is their most hated work activity. Another one in six (17%) dislike reviewing long documents and more than one in eight (13%) don’t like speaking to customers.

However, these are not the jobs that workers want to delegate to robots.

The tasks that employees would most like to hand over to a machine are those that they both dislike and have to spend a significant amount of time doing, such as inputting data (16%), taking minutes and notes (14%), and electronic filing (12%).

“It is encouraging to see that the majority of UK workers would welcome the opportunity to delegate tasks — particularly those that are less interesting — to robots,” commented Anthony Macciola, chief innovation officer at ABBYY.

“Whilst people may not enjoy spending time in meeting or speaking to customers or their boss, they clearly recognise the value they personally bring to those activities.

“For the vast majority, the idea of working with robots is still hypothetical. However, we find that enabling employees to work in partnership with robots enhances their job satisfaction, allowing them to spend more time on adding value to their businesses where it matters most.”